KEVIN SMITH: Dogma 25th Anniversary

In this Reel Insights episode, Sean Tajipour, the Mayor of Nerdtropolis, chats with filmmaker and pop culture icon Kevin Smith about the 25th anniversary of his bold and hilarious 1999 film, Dogma, part of his View Askewniverse.

Kevin reflects on the film’s origin, the unexpected “Wizard of Oz” inspiration, and how the movie has managed to connect with brand-new audiences decades later—despite the lack of smartphones and modern tech on screen. He also shares candid thoughts about the film’s impact, his journey from Clerks to Dogma, and why he still can’t believe people are watching it for the first time today.

Get ready for a fun, thoughtful, and nostalgic conversation that dives deep into the legacy of one of the most unique and controversial comedies of its time.

Dogma premiered in 1999 and stars Matt Damon, Ben Affleck, Alan Rickman, Linda Fiorentino, Chris Rock, and more.

Catch it now at AMC Theaters: https://dogmamovie.com/

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Episode Transcript

(00:00):
Mr. Kevin Smith, so great to seeyou again.
I'm hoping today is the day you remember my face.
Look at that face man, How couldI not?
I know right Kevin? 25 years later, Dogma is still
sparking debate, laughs late night watches at all the films
you have made. Did you think this would be the
one that we'll be talking about today?

(00:21):
I mean, when I made it, I felt it was so original.
I remember that when I was a kid, I was like, there ain't
nothing like this out there in the world, man.
I made the most original movie. And then when we were shooting
it, we're shooting like the third act out in front of the
church and Linda Fiorentino, like, you know, in the movie at
the end, like characters are inside the church, the doors
close and shit like that. And after the doors close, I'm

(00:44):
like God and Linda Fiorentino goes, it's kind of like Wizard
of Oz, isn't it? And I was like, fuck, I had no
idea that I had just, it's just Wizard of Oz.
That's it. Go watch Wizard of Oz, watch dog
man. It's like, oh, he just stole the
whole fucking structure. So it's, I guess it makes sense
then that we'd be talking about it 25 years later because that

(01:06):
Wizard of Oz movie had staying power, man.
Like they're still talking aboutthat picture today.
They made that Wicked movie as well.
So in a world where the, the, you know, there was something
that had to age. Well, it makes sense that the
movie stolen from Wizard of Oz has aged pretty well.
But I, I'm just shocked, honestly, that we even got to

(01:27):
that movie. Clerks was the only movie I had
a plan for. Like I just want to make this
movie in the convenience store and I wasn't ready for the rest
of it. Man, like, I wish I had packed
for a 30 year journey. I, I would, as far as I knew, I
was on one journey and then it just opened the door and I kept
my foot in the door because I didn't want to get kicked out of
the room anymore. And by the time we got to Dogma,

(01:49):
like I had Clerks and then Mallrats came out and tanked and
ruined my career and then Chasing Amy, like put me back.
And I was like, there ain't no time.
Like now I'll never be. I have another chance to get
this movie made. Ben and Matt were coming off of
Goodwill hunting. So suddenly I was like, this is
it, man. If I'm ever going to take a shot
on my dream movie, it has to be now.
And because of that window we got, we got to make it.

(02:13):
Yeah, and my wife just saw it for the first time when I made a
rewatch with me, and she absolutely loved it.
What's it been like hearing fromnew viewers discovering the film
now for the first time, and especially a generation removed
from the original release? It's crazy, when we were on
tour, I've been out there for the last month, we did like 20
city tour, 2 shows a night, sometimes 3 when I was at my own

(02:35):
theaters, podcast and cinemas. So during the Q&A or in the
intro, I would always do like a housekeeping.
Like how many people have seen Dogma before and how many people
have never seen it in a theatre and how many people have never
seen it at all? There's always less than 1%, but
there's always about 5 to 10 people who are going in dry, so

(02:55):
to speak. And I would always be like, why
the fuck would you pay $50.00 tosee a movie that you've never
seen before? It, it worked out like
afterwards, you know, I've neverhad anybody after the movie be
like, yeah, I was one of the first timers.
This sucks. Like every one of them was like,
oh, it still works. And that fucking blew me away.
The fact that like, it held up for a younger audience.

(03:17):
If it holds up for some mother fucker who's like, I saw this
movie with my grandmother when Iwas 8 years old and shit like it
makes sense because sentimentality and nostalgia.
But for somebody who's like, I have no connection to this movie
historically or you or anything like that, to sit down, take it
in and have it work for them, even though there are no cell
phones on screen. Because it was made fucking 26
years ago. That breathtaking.

(03:39):
And I never thought I'd make a movie like that.
That's like timeless, so to speak.
Yeah, I just have to say that every day you're getting new
fans, and so my job is to sit people down with your films and
introduce them to their first Kevin Smith film, regardless of
which one it is. It was, and I'm glad my wife got
to see Dogma. She actually enjoyed it, and she
loved your other ones too. So you're making fans

(04:00):
everywhere. I'm just delighted that like,
she didn't divorce you afterwards.
Like this is the shit you like. You know, I've been a divisive
subject object and some marriages my own especially, So
I you know, I could see if she would be like EW, but that means
the world she liked it. Well, it's only been three
months for us, so. Not showing her Kevin Smith
movies, I'm telling you. But Mr. Smith, thank you so

(04:24):
much. It's a real pleasure and we'll
definitely do it again. Such a pleasure and Congrats
man. Three months in marriage is a
hell of an institution.